


The night before

by simplegirl



Category: Nathan Barley (TV)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-24
Updated: 2013-12-24
Packaged: 2018-01-04 08:22:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,667
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1078740
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/simplegirl/pseuds/simplegirl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The night before Dan's accident, Jones comes home to find Dan drunk and tries to help get him to bed.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The night before

The night before Dan's accident, Jones comes home to find Dan drunk and slumped forward on the sofa. Jones quickly puts his gear down and crosses the room to check on Dan. He pushes Dan's hair back and lifts his head up. "Dan?"  
  
Dan's eyes flutter in recognition and Jones lets out a sigh of relief that Dan hasn't finally drunk himself to death.  
  
"Come on, Dan. Claire said she'll be pulling an all-nighter tonight and won't be home. I think you could use a night in an actual bed."  
  
Jones strokes Dan's cheek with his thumb and Dan leans into Jones's hand, but doesn't show any indication of an intention to get off the settee.  
  
"Come on, Dan. I can't carry you, you're gonna have to get up yourself."  
  
Jones stands looking down at Dan, who still doesn't show any sign he's planning to stand up, and for what feels like ages Dan just stares back. Jones can't read Dan's expression and feels unsettled.  
  
\--  
  
They've lived together for nearly six years, Jones considers Dan his best friend and is fairly certain he is (or was) Dan's as well. They used to be a couple - or at least Jones considered them a couple. He's not sure what Dan would call their time together. The time before Claire moved in and they shared the one bedroom and were fucking exclusively. But Dan broke it off eight months ago. Claire was coming to London and would be staying with them until she got a place of her own. At least that had been the plan. Dan was never comfortable with people he knew knowing he was in a relationship with a man. When he and Jones went out of town, Dan seemed slightly more at ease with public displays of affection. But he would have none of it while they were in London.  
  
At the same time, things at SugarApe had just been getting worse since Jonatton had taken over. And then the idiots started worshiping Dan. He got pissed nearly every day and was even more full of self-loathing than usual. He felt he was whoring himself out to Jonatton and had abandoned all of his principles and turned his back on everything that had led him to become a writer in the first place. He hated what he had become and couldn't understand why Jones would want to be with him. He thought Jones was too nice ever to end things, so he took it upon himself and said he needed space. In the eight months since, there had been a hand jobs and blow jobs while Dan had been pissed. He always pretended not to remember the next morning. And Jones was good at playing along.  
  
\--  
  
"Dan?" Jones tries again. And in a flash Dan leans forward and wraps his arms around Jones's middle. Jones stifles a gasp and stays rigid as Dan rubs his cheek against the bit of exposed skin where Jones's t-shirt has ridden up. Jones lays a timid hand on top of Dan's head and threads his fingers through his loose curls. He closes his eyes to hold back tears. He has never stopped loving Dan and hasn't been too proud to refuse his drunken advances these past months. But he knows Dan has been getting more and more depressed and Jones thinks maybe he's been taking advantage of Dan while he's been so vulnerable and broken just because Jones wants him. Even if Dan only needs him when he's drunk and he's the most convenient thing to fuck.  
  
"Dan..." Jones tries again. He can't think of anything else to say. He isn't sure if he means "Dan, please stop" or "Dan, don't you dare stop." Dan lets out a low hum and seems to take him to mean the latter. "Jones," he says, finally speaking, then presses a kiss to Jones's stomach.  
  
"You're pissed, Dan. You should get some sleep." But Jones cradles Dan's head against him and Dan continues nuzzling against his stomach. Dan finally takes his arms away and Jones feels a pang of disappointment. Jones drops his arms to his sides again as Dan stares up at him.  
  
"Dan..." Jones starts again and wishes he could think of something else to say.  
  
Dan drops his eyes and then his hands are on Jones's belt buckle, then the button of his jeans. Jones puts his hands over Dan's. Jones's heart is racing. Part of him knows he should resist - for both of their sakes. But he also wants this badly. Dan looks puzzled and tries to shake Jones's hands off of his. Jones tightens his grip on Dan's hands and shakes his head slowly.  
  
"Come on, Ashcroft. To bed with you." He tugs at Dan's hands to get him to stand up. Dan stumbles against him and Jones puts his arm around Dan's waist to help lead him to the bedroom. Dan nuzzles against Jones's hair and, because of the height difference, places an awkward kiss on Jones's neck, then licks lightly against where he kissed. Jones can't help but let out a quiet moan as he pushes Dan into the bedroom.  
  
Dan flops onto the bed as Jones turns on the reading light on the bedside table so he can see what he's doing while he kneels by the bed to unlace Dan's shoes. Dan lifts himself onto his elbows and watches Jones intently.  
  
"You could help a bit, you know. It's not like you're an invalid, Dan," Jones smiles, as he sits on the side of the bed and starts unbuttoning Dan's shirt. He knows he should just leave him to get some sleep, but he also knows it never feels good to wake up hungover and still in yesterday's clothes.  
  
He pushes the shirt off Dan's shoulders, trying not to let his fingers linger across his chest. Dan sits up to let Jones help him pull the sleeves off his arms. Jones turns to toss the shirt onto the floor and Dan wraps his arms around Jones again and kisses his neck and up to just behind his ear. Jones wonders if Dan remembers, even while pissed, that this is Jones's Achilles heel, as he feels himself melting into Dan's arms. He abandons any lingering thoughts he had about whether or not he should bother trying to resist Dan tonight. He wraps his arms around Dan's torso and awkwardly kicks off his own boots as Dan pulls Jones onto the bed with him.  
  
"Want you," Dan whispers into his hair, then kisses along his jaw, his hands tugging at the hem of Jones's t-shirt.  
  
The hand jobs and blowies over the past months have always been while mostly clothed and Jones feels a thrill when Dan's bare chest presses against his own. Dan kisses insistently and Jones winces as the strong taste of lager on Dan's tongue.  
  
Dan's hand finds its way back to the fly of Jones's jeans and he tugs Jones's skinnies down along with this y-fronts. Jones lifts his hips slightly and helps toe his jeans off once Dan pushes them down his thighs. Dan has always hated eye contact, even when pissed, but he stares into Jones's eyes as he runs his hands up Jones's thighs to rest on his hips. He grinds against Jones and Jones reaches for Dan's fly and is grateful that Dan's jeans are much looser than his own. Jones isn't sure how long he'll last as he feels Dan hard against his thigh.  
  
"Jones," Dan whispers as he kisses his collar bone, "want to fuck you."  
  
Jones swallows hard and nods, although Dan didn't seem to be waiting for an answer, as he reaches for lotion on the bedside table.  
  
They'd had drunken sex on many occasions over the years. But this feels different somehow. It's not just drunken giggles and fumbling hands. Despite his level of inebriation, Dan takes his time getting Jones ready and seems hypersensitive to Jones's reactions. Whenever Jones seems to tense up or to be in any way uncomfortable, Dan slows down and kisses him tenderly until he's relaxed again. Tenderness isn't something that Jones usually associated with Dan. Definitely not with the Dan of the past several months. Jones thinks he's going to pass out as he approaches his climax. It had been months since either of them had had proper sex and Jones is amazed he's able to last as long as he has. He moans Dan's name as he comes, which seems to push Dan over the edge as well. Dan speeds up his thrusts and comes with a grunt, then collapses onto Jones as they both ride out their orgasms, Dan repeating Jones's name in a low whisper like a mantra while Jones peppers his face with kisses.  
  
They fall asleep curled around each other without bothering to clean themselves off. Jones makes a mental note to change the sheets in the morning before Claire gets home.

  
Jones wakes and looks at the clock - it's nearly 5. He raises his head to look at Dan, who is snoring gently. Jones wraps his arm more tightly around Dan and dots his chest with featherlight kisses. Jones thinks back to when they shared this bed every night, before things turned into the mess they are now and begins crying softly as he continues kissing. Dan seems to stir a bit and Jones stops, raising his head again.  
  
"Dan?" he says quietly, "Are you awake?" No reaction.  
  
Dan is in that strange state between asleep and awake, where he's not quite sure if what's happening is real or just a dream. He is vaguely aware of Jones speaking to him, but isn't awake enough to respond. Jones kisses his shoulder and then stretches up so that his mouth is just by Dan's ear.  
  
"Dan?" he asks again. Still no reaction. He sniffles and then, with his lips to Dan's ear, whispers, ["Dan Ashcroft, I'll love you till the day I die."](http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=gnOPbCj8a9Y#t=32)


End file.
